I’m 21 weeks along, close to five months pregnant. Everything is going well, the baby looks healthy. I’m gaining the right amount of weight and size. Things are going swimmingly.

We did another sonogram today to see if we could get a glimpse at the baby’s gender. The kid had it’s back turned to us the whole time, but we could at least see between it’s legs from the back. Since there was no sign of male genitalia, the doctor is guessing that it’s a girl. There is still no way to be sure of this, so I’m going to wait YET ANOTHER MONTH before I feel that I know for sure. So no screaming it from the mountain tops… yet.

I think I might have to break down and get a harness for Ashton. He’s way too quick and active and has no interest in staying anywhere near his parents. I have no idea how other parents train their children to stay close, but it seems to have something to do with the child’s desire to not lose his mom and dad. My kid couldn’t care less, it seems. I found a really cute monkey backpack, where the tail is actually detachable a strap for parents to hold onto. For about 10 to 13 bucks I won’t have to worry as much anymore. I finally reached this decision when we went to Scarborough Faire yesterday and I was by myself with the boy. With no stroller (because it’s kind of a pain to deal with out there) it was almost impossible to keep him in check. So… monkey backpack. They’re actually called harness buddies. I’ve never liked the idea of putting a leash on a kid, but Ashton is way more active than most, and I can’t keep up with him in my “current state”.

There are several parents who call this lazy. I would like them to chase my son around for a few hours and then have a chat with me. It’s not lazy, it’s just desperation. My favorite comment of all is that you can train a dog to heel, you should be able to train a child just as easily. How do you train a dog to heel? I always used a short leash. Somehow the logic just doesn’t translate there.

Okay I’ll stop my silly rant here. I know it sounds like I’m trying to justify myself and this decision, and I kind of am. To myself. I’ve just been against the idea for so long that I’m having a tiny issue coming to terms with the fact that this might just save my sanity.

This is all for now. You will know as soon as I do about the parasite and it’s details.